A Typical Weekend
by Bruno2
Summary: Just a typical weekend in the life of the Katts family.
1. Chapter 1

"She used to be a very pretty girl." Officer Hank Katts thought to himself as he stared at her driver's license. For just a moment he was transfixed by the haunting image. She looked so young- she was in her early 20s when that picture was taken and she looked happy. At least her smile made her look happy. Hank could almost image a time in the young woman's life when she was happy, had friends and family, and a bright future. Maybe she was a college student or she could have had a full-time job working in an office somewhere. Maybe she was a musician, maybe she was an athlete, and maybe she was brilliant. The only thing officer Katts knew for sure was that she was dead.

As he lowered the small photo from his vision the image became very different. It was nearly two years after that picture had been taken and the last photographs of the woman would be done by the medical examiner. She lay sprawled across the floor of the abandoned restaurant, and she had probably died more than twenty four hours ago. Most likely she died of a drug overdose and once her friends realized that she was dead, they took everything of value that she had and left her for someone else to find. This wasn't the first time that Hank found someone like this and he knew that it probably wouldn't be the last. Hank still had to wonder about the events in this person's life that led to this.

It was a chance encounter that led officer Katts here. Not only was Hank scheduled to have the day off, but he wasn't supposed to be patrolling this area. He happened be nearby and responded to a call about a car alarm- which turned out to be a false alarm- when his K9 partner Rudy caught the scent of trouble. Rudy brought Hank to the abandoned building and the grisly scene. The area was considered to be on the 'bad side of the tracks,' but a few years ago it seemed to be on the rebound. At that time a wave of immigrants were moving in and revitalizing the community. Buildings were being restored, streets were being cleaned, and people could be seen walking down the streets. All of that changed with an influx of a new drug called crock. This new drug was highly addictive and left a path of destruction in its wake.

As the medical examiner's team and the backup police arrived at the scene Hank attention turned back to the technical aspects of the job. Office Katts walked outside to meet the forensics team and help them begin their investigation. Hank knew that he'd have quite a bit of paperwork to finish at the office for the rest of the day. It was turning out to be a horrible Thursday- the morning was a mess and the afternoon was going to be filled with tedious paperwork. Hank was also looking at working through the entire weekend. Even though being a cop had always been his dream, sometimes the reality of the job wasn't pleasant.


	2. Chapter 2

Steven couldn't help but think that this was not his day. He had several assignments that were due on Monday and, to make matters worse, he had an important math test on Friday. His score on his last algebra test was less than stellar and he knew that he would have to do well on this one to bring his overall grade back up. The only upside that Steven could see was that the school day was over. He was just about to cross the street when a familiar voice shouted out to him.

"Hey, Stevie!" Buddy yelled from across the schoolyard. Steven turned around to see his old friend running up to him.

"What's up, Buddy?" Steve asked as Buddy got closer. Steve and Buddy used to be close through middle school, but when they entered high school it seems they drifted apart. Neither of them played baseball anymore and they didn't have any classes together. The problem wasn't that they disliked each other- far from it- but they just didn't spend much time together anymore due to their respective circumstances.

"I haven't seen you in a while. Wanna walk home together?" Buddy asked.

The two boys walked together for about twenty minutes and talked about the fun they had together. The ballgames, the parties, the camaraderie, the joking around- all those memories took Steven's mind off the pressing yet fleeting concerns of the present. It was then they heard the loud bass of the upcoming car.

The noise was obnoxious, but that was the point. The driver wasn't so much interested in the music as he was in projecting an image to bystanders. With every loud rumble parts of the car would vibrate in an off-key unison, making a comical statement unbeknownst to the driver. As the car approached, both boys realized that it was the Firebird of Buddy's brother.

"Get in the car dickweed. Mom is pissed at you." The older boy shouted to Buddy.

Buddy said goodbye to Steven and opened the passenger door to the black muscle car. Steven had never cared much for Francis even though they never had much interaction. Steven had heard that he dropped out of high school a year ago but never ask any questions about it. Francis always seemed aloof and usually ran with a bad crowd that Steven avoided.

Steve walked the remaining few blocks alone and his demeanor had changed. He enjoyed talking with his friend once more and was reminded about the fun times they had together. Steven still had an algebra test tomorrow, but he was no longer thinking about how he was having an awful day.


	3. Chapter 3

Hank arrived home carrying Chinese takeaway. Hank knew his son wasn't going to be thrilled with another take-out dinner, but it was late and he was in no mood to cook.

"Have a good day at school today?" Hank asked as he saw his son sitting at the kitchen table with his schoolbooks open.

"It was okay." Steven didn't want to get into the details of all that had happened so he was brief in his response. "How was work?"

"It was okay." Hank wanted to shield his son from all the horrible things that were happening in the city. Hank knew his son was resilient, but he still didn't want to burden Steven unnecessarily.

"Chinese food again?" Steve wasn't asking a question.

Rudy barked in agreement.

Hank chuckled. "Yeah, I know. The Dragon Palace knows us by name. I'll make something this weekend." Hank put the food on the counter.

"Oh, I ran into Buddy today. I haven't talked with him in a while." Steve told his father as he gathered silverware to set the table.

The two sat down and ate dinner while talking about the baseball games and times that Steve spent with Buddy. Despite the overly salty carryout, they both enjoyed dinner.


	4. Chapter 4

The alarm jolted Hank out of bed. Hank despised his alarm but it worked well since there was no way that he could sleep through it. Hank turned off the alarm clock and stumbled into the bathroom to start his day.

"Hey bud, get up for school." Hank told his son. Once Steven was awake and getting ready for school, Hank said goodbye for the day and left for Metro PD.

Shortly after arriving in the office, Sergeant Phillips pulled Hank into his office and told him about a tip that he had about an assassination and that he was planning a sting. The officers reviewed the plans several times and prepared for the takedown. They had heard that a hit man was planning an assassination just after noon on the boardwalk, but they had little else. Hank was to dress as an older blind man and Rudy would be disguised as his seeing eye dog. It was a ploy that they had used in the past to much success. The whole plan seemed a long shot, but they had to see if the lead would pan out.

Despite it being and overcast and chilly Friday there were still quite a few people on the boardwalk; it was the type of day that didn't seem likely for a professional hit. Officer Katts, clad in fake beard, glasses, and white cane, walked up to the bistro and asked for an outdoor seat. When the waitress asked if he'd rather have a seat indoors, the blind man said that he liked the smell of the air before the rain. Sergeant Phillips was dressed as a city employee and was raking a grassy field nearby. At nearly half past noon both men were beginning to think that the tip was a hoax.

As a tall, slender, middle-aged man walked by the outside eating area Rudy growled. Hank knew that Rudy's senses were impeccable and kept an eye on the man through his dark glasses. When the man was several feet away he called Sergeant Phillips on his mobile radio. The OC stood up straight to acknowledge the message. Hank could see that the man was carrying an umbrella, but otherwise carried nothing else that was visible. Since it was chilly outside it was very possible that he was carrying a concealed weapon. Hank watched the man through the corner of his eye as he walked to the edge of the water. The strange man was acting a bit strangely, but not in a way that would attract too much attention. If this was the assassin, Hank could not see the mark.

After an additional fifteen minutes had passed, the man began to walk along the water toward the parking lot. This was it- the man was leaving. Hank called Sgt. Phillips and they agreed to stop the man. Hank told Rudy to stop him and pulled off his beard and glasses. The dog took off after the tall man and Sgt. Phillips moved to intercept him as well.

Rudy ran up to within a meter of the man and barked aggressively. The man almost immediately stumbled backward into the guardrail and dropped his umbrella into the water. The two police officers were not far behind.

"Stop it right there, I'm a police officer!" Hank yelled at his suspect.

"Police officer!?" The man questioned back in a thick Russian accent. "What is this?"

"We're investigating a suspicious person complaint and you sure fit the bill." Hank's wit sometimes made things better and sometimes made things worse. This time the latter was true.

"I came to this country to avoid police persecution! But what do I get here but the secret police? You have no reason to stop me!" The man was getting agitated.

"Alright, calm down. We just want to check up on you. Once that's done we'll be on our way." Hank's demeanor became very matter-of-fact.

"And if I don't, are you going to have your dog attack me?" The man replied with a rhetorical question.

"Just turn around and put your hands on your head. I'm going to check you for weapons. After that you can go."

The man no longer protested and complied with the officer's orders. Hank gave the man a quick pat down and found nothing more than a wallet and a set of keys. Hank expected to find a handgun or some other type of weapon and was perplexed that he came up empty handed.

"I'm sorry for detaining you. You're free to go." Hank's face did not express remorse at stopping the man. The strange man scowled and continued to walk to the parking lot.

"I don't know what happened. I don't often get bad intel from my source." Sgt. Phillips often spoke with militaristic jargon which fit his leadership style. "It doesn't make any sense!" He proclaimed, clearly showing his frustration.

"Sometimes people don't hear things right. Maybe your source was wrong." Hank tried to calm Sgt. Phillips down, but it wasn't working.

On the way back to the office Hank decided to take a detour. He turned the police cruiser toward downtown and headed to the medical examiner's office. He still couldn't stop thinking about the young woman from the day before. Her death seemed so pointless, so meaningless. Hank had to know if any foul play was involved.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey bud, get up for school." Steven was used to waking up this way on weekdays. As he sat up Steven couldn't help but think about the algebra test. If he didn't do well on this test, his grade for the term would be in jeopardy. After breakfast Steven prepared for school. Hank left first, and Steven wasn't far behind.

After turning in his test, Steven felt good about his algebra exam. He knew that he might not have gotten every answer correct, but he knew how to go about solving every problem. He was confident that he did well enough on it to bring his grade back to where it needed to be. After his math class Steven only had two hours until the end of the school day. He was looking forward to spending some time with Natalie over the weekend as well.

As Steven left school he heard a familiar voice again. He didn't expect to see Buddy again but wasn't disappointed by it either. When Steven turned around he was taken aback by Buddy's appearance.

The black eye on Buddy's face was impossible to miss. Steven tried to avoid the topic at first, but couldn't stop himself from asking about it.

"Where'd you get the shiner?" Steven questioned.

"Oh, I was running in the house and ran into my bedroom door." Buddy looked away as he gave his explanation. "What's going on this afternoon? Do you want to hang out today?"

"Yeah, that'd be great." Steven actually liked the idea of spending the afternoon with Buddy but didn't believe his explanation. Steven also knew that, in time, Buddy might tell him what had happened.

Steven and Buddy spent the afternoon by talking about girls, playing video games, and watching a baseball game on the television. Steven was enjoying the company of his friend but couldn't stop thinking about Buddy's black eye- it just wasn't in Buddy's nature to get into a fight.

At about six thirty Steven mentioned that his father would be coming home soon. When the younger Katts mentioned that, Buddy's usual happy-go-lucky attitude turned somber. Steven could tell that something was wrong.

"Think I could stay here tonight?" Buddy asked.

"Yeah, sure. I think so. Let me ask my dad." Steve was taken aback by the question. Steven was now sure that something was wrong.

Hank arrived home a little later than usual. When he walked in the front door he could hear that Steven had company. It wasn't unusual for this to happen, but Hank wasn't expecting it tonight.

"Steven, I'm home." Hank called from the foyer. Steven came running down the stairs to greet his father.

"Hey dad, can Buddy stay for the night?"

Hank didn't expect that question. "Aren't you a little old for…" Hank saw Buddy follow Steve down the stairs and caught a glimpse of his face. "Sure." Hank said while nodding.

Saturday morning Steven asked Buddy if he'd like to go to the mall to meet Natalie and her friends. Buddy jumped at the idea.

The mall was always full of people on Saturday. Part of the fun of going to the mall was seeing other people and being seen by other people. Steven and Buddy went to the food court to meet with Natalie. The food court was bustling with movement and it took the boys several minutes to find Natalie. She was sitting with three other girls and looked like she had already been there for a while.

"Hi Natalie, hi guys." For some reason it was okay to refer to girls as 'guys.' "You know Buddy, right?" Steve pointed to his friend as he introduced him to the girls.

"Oh yeah, hi Buddy!" Natalie didn't seem the least upset that Steven brought his friend along. Natalie introduced the boys to her friends- Jolene, Betty, and Denise. The teens spent the next several hours walking through the mall, shopping at clothing stores, and discussing important topics like the how the most recent album from The B-52's compared to Paul's Boutique.

Both Steven and Natalie couldn't help noticed that Jolene was flirting with Buddy the entire day. Buddy seemingly relished the attention lavished upon him. Buddy had never been much of the ladies' man, but Steven was glad to see him having a good time with Jolene.

After watching Uncle Buck at the second run theater, the kids said goodbye to each other. It was getting late and Natalie had to be home before her curfew. Buddy tried to talk the other girls and Steven into staying out later but was rebuffed. Steven assumed that Buddy wanted to spend more time with Jolene.


	6. Chapter 6

Sunday started out as a normal day. Hank had to work the entire weekend and Steven still had to finish his assignments that were due on Monday. He took the important exam on Friday, but still had an essay to write for his English class and a science report that was due as well. It wasn't late in the morning when Hank came back home. From the look on his face Steven knew that it wasn't good news. Hank was quiet as he walked in the doorway and into the kitchen where Steve was doing his schoolwork. He then sat down next to his son. For a moment no one wanted to be the first to speak.

"I have some bad news. Late last night there was a shooting, a drive-by shooting, at Buddy's house." Hank spoke slowly.

"Buddy? Is he okay?" Steven didn't expect this.

"Buddy is in the hospital, but he should be fine. He was hit in the arm and it wasn't serious. His brother, Francis, is missing. Do you know where he is? Do you know anything about this?"

Steven didn't know how to respond. "No. No. No, I don't know where Francis is. Who would shoot Buddy?" Steven knew that Hank didn't know the answer to that question.

"I don't know yet, but I'm going to find out. Come on, let's go see Buddy." Hank stood up and motioned for Steven to follow.

The drive to the hospital was quiet. Both Hank and Steven had lost too many people in their lives and hated going to the hospital. They both connected the hospitals to loss. They both had to see Buddy, but for different reasons.

Buddy was awake and in good spirits when Hank and Steven came into his room. Buddy's spirits visibly rose with the arrival of his friends. The only other person in the room was Buddy's mother. Buddy showed off the bandage on his wrist and seemed to be in good shape overall. After about fifteen minutes Buddy's mother left the room to call her family. It was at that point that Hank decided to start asking Buddy the tough questions.

Both Hank and Steven were surprised at what Buddy had to say. After Francis quit high school he took to dealing drugs. Buddy found out and when he threatened to tell his parents, Francis became angry and hit him. The last time Buddy saw his older brother was late Saturday night after the drive-by shooting. Francis wasn't injured in the incident and fled the scene before the police and the paramedics arrived. When pressed, Buddy admitted that Francis had mentioned his 'boss,' someone by the name of 'Hardball.' This was a name that Hank knew well. Hank told Buddy that he had to get back to work.

"Mr. Katts, please find my brother." Buddy pleaded.

Hank smiled at the request. "I will."


	7. Chapter 7

Hank parked his cruiser around the corner from house where Clancy lived. Clancy went by the street name of Hardball and was known for mostly petty crimes. It wasn't much of a stretch for a petty thug to graduate into a drug dealer. As officer Katts exited the patrol car he spotted the black firebird in the alleyway behind the house. He quickly called it in and decided to walk down the alley and inspect the car before going to the house.

As the officer approached the car he noticed that windshield was smashed and the driver's side window was down. Looking inside the car he spotted what appeared to be blood stains on the inside. Peaking out from under a baseball hat was the barrel of a handgun. Hank didn't want to disturb the crime scene, but he couldn't let the handgun sit open while he left the scene to look for Francis. With the blood inside the car Hank knew that Francis could be in serious trouble and couldn't wait for backup to arrive. Hank pulled the firearm out of the car and gave it a quick inspection.

It was a small .25 caliber handgun colloquially known as a Saturday night special. The chrome plating and the imitation pearl grips belied its status as a low cost, cheap handgun that was increasingly favored by punks and hold-up men. It was as cheap as fifty dollars and could be quickly disposed of after a crime. The seasoned police officer checked to see if the magazine was loaded and put the Raven pistol in his pocket.

"Find him pal, find him." Hank didn't really need to give his partner orders as the police dog had done this many times in the past and knew exactly what to do. What Hank didn't expect was that Rudy didn't run toward the house, but rather took off toward a run-down industrial park that was a few blocks away. Given that it was now Sunday afternoon, there would be few bystanders in that area.

Rudy led Hank to a non-descript warehouse in middle of the industrial park. The officer called for back-up on his mobile radio and scouted the outside of the building. Hank found a window and while he couldn't see people inside, he could hear that a commotion was going on. He moved to the far side of the building and found a door that was unlocked. Hank unholstered his service pistol and quietly opened the door to enter the warehouse.

The yelling came from the front of the warehouse and Hank was going to move there slowly. He looked up to find a walkway that overlooked the warehouse floor. He motioned for his partner to go up the stairs and moved behind a wooden crate in order to move toward the commotion.

When officer Katts made it to the front of the building he surveyed the scene. Clancy was standing next to the Russian man from the boardwalk. The Russian man was holding a pistol and standing over Francis yelling with a thick Russian accent. All three were standing on a tarp. Hank knew what was going to happen.

"How could you do something so stupid!? We don't need this kind of attention right now!" The man looked at Clancy with a mean stare. "Do you know what I'm going to have to do now, because of you?" He turned back to Francis, who was now breathing heavily. The Russian man raised his gun.

"Stop, police!" Hank yelled as he pointed his gun at the Russian man. The Russian man quickly stooped behind Francis and put his gun to the boy's head.

"Ah, mister Stasi." It almost seemed as though the man was amused by the turn of events. "Put your gun down or I shoot him." The man threatened.

"No one has to get hurt today. There's no reason for more violence." Hank knew his bargaining was doomed to fail.

"Your gun, now!" He yelled.

"Okay, okay. No one needs to get hurt." Hank slowly put his gun on the ground.

"Now kick it to me." The man ordered. Hank complied and kicked his service pistol several meters out of the way. The man now stood up. "I almost hate to have to kill you." He chortled.

The Russian man took a few steps toward officer Katts and began to point his gun toward the officer. Before he could bring his gun to bear, Rudy leapt from the walkway and bit down sharply on his arm. The Russian man howled in pain. The weight of the German Shepherd caused both man and dog to fall to the ground, but Rudy never let go of his mark. Before Clancy knew what was going on, Hank was two meters away and pointing the small, shiny at him.

"Step back and get down on the ground." Hank barked an order. Clancy was overwhelmed by how quickly the circumstances had changed. "Now!" Hank yelled.

With Clancy on the ground and the Russian man subdued, Hank retrieved his service weapon. He also picked up the man's now discarded pistol. Hank couldn't immediately identify the make of the pistol. He thought that it must be of Russian origin.

"Break Rudy, break." Hanks voice no longer exhibited any haste. "If you move a muscle he'll eat you!" Hank warned the man as Rudy growled menacingly a few centimeters from his face. As Hank finished his warning he could hear the sirens of the approaching police cars.

"You know that Francis kid is still in the interrogation room, right? He's been in there for about an hour now." Sgt. Phillips reminded Hank.

"I'm giving him time to think about what he did. He needs a few minutes to reflect." Hank replied. "I'll take care of him shortly."

Hank walked into the interrogation room with a stack of papers and some coffee. He ignored Francis as he sat down across the table and started to look through his papers. Every movement, every paper shuffle, every breath was calculated for effect. Francis began to speak, but Hank held up his index finger to stop him. After about three minutes Hank began to speak.

"Hmmm… Dealing drugs, illegal possession of a firearm, money laundering, attempted murder- you're going to prison for the next sixty years." Hank knew that this wasn't the case, but he was looking to get a response from the young man. Hank put his papers down and leaned into Francis' personal space. "Three days ago I found a dead girl just a few years older than you. Was it your drugs that killed her? Did you sell her the shit that did her in? Let's not forget to mention that you almost got your brother killed!"

Francis hung his head and put his face in his hands. "I don't know how this happened. I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you everything and how to find everyone involved. I just want to be out of all of this." Hank could hear the young man start to break down. Officer Katts got that focused look in his eyes as he recorded all that Francis had to tell him. Hank knew that he was about to begin to take down what could be an international drug ring. Hank loved being a cop.


End file.
